It is snowing. The Flock is locked up. What do you do ?

[Guinea Goonie]

It is going to be around 0 degrees here in the next few days. The birds are in for the duration. The barn gets sun on a galvanized steel exterior and there are two light panels in the roof. The barn is well ventilated and the birds are doing great getting along.

I figure it is about 15 to 20 degrees in the barn, about 10 degrees warmer always.

I just refuse to lose any birds, especially the Guineas to the cold. I know it may sound dumb, but this is one thing I am adamant about. I have seen what frostbite does to a comb and especially Chicken/Guinea toes.

I do not care about the snow, heck it is probably warm compared to the air, it is the temps these nut heads will endure to sun themselves. I am guessing two thirds of them would not leave the barn anyhow.

 

[Bookworm chick]

I give them the option and leave their pop-door open. Usually the rooster makes the decision. Where he goes, the hens follow. When we had the 21 inches before Christmas, they chose to stay inside. Last week's dusting didn't keep them in. So far I haven't had a problem with frost-bite.
I do wonder sometimes though how it must feel when one of them comes outside in the run with poop stuck on a foot. Maybe I could teach them to use a boot-scraper.

 

[werecatrising]

I open the coop door in the morning- same as always. Just about everyone comes out. They do spend more time going back in than they do in warmer weather.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Well OK, I felt sorry for the little buggers so this morning the Sun was shinning brightly, the temps were almost to 20 and I noticed a lot of birds starting to chase each other.

So I opened the barn door about a foot and TWO, yes TWO birds came out. The BIG 'OL orp roo (he probably has seen 5 winters) and a young wild game roo.

The others (especially the Guineas) wanted NO part of it.

Well at least the snow will most likely melt off the roof and the barn will get a nice dose of "hot tin roof".

 

[cybercat]

I can't keep my chickens inside they will not stay. Check out my blog in sig it shows pics of them in a klight and heavier snow. They do not seems to mind it at all.

 

[hyzenthlay]

I give my three girls the option, and they choose to go out in the snow. Of course, we don't have as much snow as some of you--only about 4-6 inches on the ground this week, and that's a lot for us. Our air temps have been around 15-25 degrees for awhile, but I keep a heat lamp on inside their coop so that it's generally in the mid 30s inside (warm enough to keep their water from freezing most of the time). They know they can run outside and play, then go inside and warm up a bit, then go back out to play in the snow, and that's just what they do.

Here they are, out enjoying the weather:

 

[they'reHISchickens]

The older EE girls stay inside; the EE teenagers wander. The orpingtons are almost always outside and don't go in until dark. While they do stay in the sheltered area of their pen, the snow doesn't seem to bother them.

 

[highcountrychickens]

Quote:
As there is snow on the ground from November through the first of April, this is what we do too - only time we lock them in is when it is as it is tonight... -25
They generally choose to stay in, but I always find an egg in the 'summer nests' outside, and their water is out there and I know they go out in the snow on a sunny morning. I closed in flocks I had in the past and they all went a little loony, so open it goes.
Plus - they're black so they stay warm in the sunshine, even when it's zero outside. I think they rather enjoy the fresh air.
I figure if the ravens can handle it - I have to trust that they can too.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Well today was a fairly warm day. 20 again. so I opened the barn door and went to mind the horses. LOW AND BEHOLD the Guineas came out, BUT they FLEW everywhere they went !!

A few ran for a bit, BUT then they FLEW again. I guess they just needed to burn off some steam. They are SUCH wacky things, they did go in very early and I checked them this evening. They seem good and happy.

Tomorrow through Saturday it is going to be BRUTALLY cold, so they will stay in. Seems the nation is experiencing really cold weather as predicted by the almanac and the mini horses. They look like bears this winter.

Hope all on BYC come through the winter great and their birds healthy.

 

[lalaland]

first couple of snows each season, the chickens act as if they've never seen such a terrifying sight. By January, they come out daily - I do shovel a path, and I'm lucky because their coop is a converted construction trailer, and it is nice and dusty and dry underneath, so they have places to be that aren't snowy, and they love the dust bathing. I keep them in on bad windchill days (like tomorrow, -40 F windchill), and there are a couple that pretty much stay inside all the time anyway.

Too many days of consecutive indoor days, and there gets to be a bit of pecking going on!